The Security Service of Ukraine has documented war crimes committed by ‘officials’ of russia’s occupation administration in the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk oblast who are involved in the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to russia.

These include russian citizen Mikhail Kushakov, the so-called ‘former minister of education and science of donetsk people’s republic’ and four of his accomplices:

• Ihor Lizov, head of the ‘administration of Amvrosiivka district of the DPR’;
• Oksana Plotnytska, director of the seized Amvrosiivka Boarding School No. 4;
• Lilia Bilyk (Doskina), deputy director of the seized Amvrosiivka Boarding School No. 4;
• Iryna Shetelya, head of the seized Vuhlehirsk Special Boarding School No. 6.

According to the investigation, on 19 February 2022, these individuals, acting on orders from the kremlin, organized the illegal deportation of 223 pupils from Amvrosiivka General Education Boarding School No. 4 and 11 pupils from Dokuchayevsk Special General Education Boarding School No. 27 to Kursk region, russia.

On the same day, the collaborators deported another 130 Ukrainian children to Rostov region of russia. This time, they were the pupils of the captured Vuhlehirsk Special General Education Boarding School No. 6.

On 15 March 2022, continuing to carry out their criminal intent, they deported another three students from Amvrosiivka General Education Boarding School No. 4 to Kursk region, russia.

With the assistance of the aggressor state, 159 Ukrainian children from the above-mentioned institutions were transferred to the care of russian families. They still live in the russian federation.

Thus, the perpetrators violated the requirements of Article 49 of the Convention (IV) on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, which prohibits forcible transfer or deportation of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the occupying power.

Based on the evidence collected by the Security Service, the five ‘officials’ have been notified in absentia of suspicion under Articles 28.2 and 438.1 of the CCU (war crimes, committed by a group, upon prior conspiracy).

Since the enemy accomplices are hiding in the temporarily occupied part of Ukraine, efforts to bring them to justice for crimes against Ukraine are underway.

The investigation was carried out under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.